Further Education Activity Bulletin published

Date published: 29 November 2018

Further Education Activity in Northern Ireland: 2013/14 to 2017/18

This statistical bulletin presents a range of analysis regarding enrolments (both regulated and non-regulated) in the Northern Ireland Further Education (FE) sector covering the academic years 2013/14 to 2017/18. This analysis covers the characteristics of those enrolling in FE colleges across a range of variables including gender, age, mode of attendance, provision area, level of study, subject area, areas of deprivation, funding streams, higher education and performance (retention, achievement and success rates).

Key points include:

• total enrolments at FE colleges increased by 1.6 per cent between 2016/17 (153,088) and 2017/18 (155,510); however, they have decreased by a net 14.0 per cent since 2013/14 (180,825).

• consistent with the increased focus on more economically relevant provision, the proportion of regulated enrolments has increased from 78.4 per cent in 2013/14 to 83.0 per cent in 2017/18.

• of the 129,054 regulated enrolments in 2017/18, nearly four-fifths (79.7 per cent) were at ‘Level 2’ or above.

• Higher Education enrolments at FE colleges have increased by a net 2.3 per cent, from 11,576 in 2013/14 to 11,848 in 2017/18.

• fewer qualifications were awarded in FE colleges in 2017/18 (82,770) than in 2013/14 (90,851), a net fall of 8.9 per cent.

• over the period 2013/14 to 2017/18, while the retention rate at FE colleges has increased (89.1 per cent to 90.3 per cent), net decreases have occurred in the rates for achievement (87.1 per cent to 85.3 per cent) and success (77.6 per cent to 77.0 per cent).

This full statistical bulletin and other information is available to download on the DfE website.